HARRISBURG – The House Game and Fisheries Committee today approved Rep. Mike Peifer’s (R-Monroe/Pike/Wayne) proposal to create a coyote control incentive program for hunters and furtakers.

“My area is infested with coyotes, and we need to do everything we can to bring the population under control,” Peifer said. “We no longer have deer herds in the big woods. Instead, they’re living by our swimming pools, under our decks and in our gardens, and that is attracting predators like coyotes into our communities as well.

“We have reports of families keeping their kids inside and pet cats disappearing because of coyotes, and it is truly a public safety concern,” he added.

House Bill 1534 authorizes the Pennsylvania Game Commission to offer an incentive of $25 to properly licensed hunters and furtakers for each coyote lawfully harvested in the Commonwealth.

In addition to addressing the public safety concerns, Peifer said the increased attention to hunting coyotes could help boost the deer population in the woods. He is also hopeful the incentive will motivate more people to be involved in the state’s hunting traditions.

The bill passed by a vote of 21-3 and now goes to the full House for consideration.